Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-23
MARDI GRAS.
The Closing Of the Grand Annual Car.
niral at New Orleans-The Day
Given up to Merriment.
Morning, While tho Grew of Proteus
Come Forth In tho Evening.
Special to the Gazette.

kuONH lOI Sedlo. 1O-Noy "O
the carnival in glorious style. 1t
has brought thousands of strangers to
New Orleans who have left many ducats
behind, to the great delight of the hotel
keepers, cahmen and others, while the
professions have been beautiful end ar
tistic, and pleasure and enioyments of all
kinds to be found in abundance.
The scenes on the streets TO-DAY were
those usually Witnessed on Mardi Gras or
Shrove Tuesday The early morning
hours were given over to the promiscuous
maskers, like the Venitian carnival; and
these gathered by the thousands on
Canal, St. Charles and other central
thoroUghfares. 1t was constant sue
cession of frogs, troubadours, bacchantes
and Indians, an ever changing panorama.
The crowd GlboHed and jostled each
other, laughed at whatever touched It's
fancy ard exchanged jokes with the
maskerS.
At noon the noise of trumpets an
nounced the coming Of Rex, and major
ity of the maskers dispersed, to fall into
the several divisions to which they were
assigned.
The royal party was led by the Beuf
Gras, the fatted OK to be sacrificed for the
Kings dinner. The original Bout Gras,
"OtOe Chief" was burned on the steamer
!. NJ White while on its way down here
to the carnival, and its two keepers lost
their lives in trying to rescue it from the
flames. new OK, however, was secured
from Texas and did duty to-day, deco
rated with flowers and ribbons, and &C
compSnied by 8 detachment of medieval
butchers, with cleaverS and axes.
The King came next, surrounded by his
knights, warriors, slaves and the women
Of mis- harem. Salsdin was dressed IN
all the magnifiCenCe of tle east. Squads OF
Bedouin Arabs and Saracenic horsemen
surrounded him, while Persian archers
and Egyptian infantry, clad in complete
mail, guarded the royal harem OF a
score Of Georgian and Clrcassian beauties.
The Rex procession embraced three di-
visions, devoted, the first to music, the
second to comic and humorous sketches,
aud the third in honor of the day,
Washlngton's birthday, to scenes from
the life OF the first president. Most of the
tableRuX wee of the burlesque rather
than the ornamental order. The truth is
that the floats, gorgeous in gold, silver
and tinsel look very well at night by
torchlight, but IL the daytime they are
very much like theatre thrown open to
the sunlight. WHereas, comic sketches
are equally gOO0 at ali times, and always
please and amuse the multitude.
The first float, the Music of the
Aucients, represented Grecian Temple
devoted to Apollo, wherein maiGens aud
youths in Grecian costume were playing
upon the haIp, Cymbals, flute and other
n no
anCient5.
Modern Music on the other hand, was
a burlesque-a well occupied fiat in the
basement, the negro BARRIERS were playing
on an accordion and banjo; the young
lady in the psrloT was humping away on
au ole piano, her brother practiCing d
Solo on the cOrnet on the back balcony,
while upon the roof an army of cats were
caterwauliDg, p oduciDg, altogether, a
most Uuearthly dir.
a number Of other floats gave burlesque
versions of popular airs: Empty is the
Cradle, Baby's Gone; When Parents Sleep
the Angels Watch, Over the Garden Wall,
Climbing Up the Golden Stairs, and
others.
In another tablaau, Apollo, god of
music, was seen seated in a Grecian tenn
pie, the pillars of which were garlsnded
with flowers. while around him fires
burned on q dozen affairs.
The tableau Of Orpheus was even grand
er. The float represented an immense
open flower of the most brilliant hues. In
the center on u throne constructed of mu-
sical instruments, sat Orpheus surrounded
by an orchestra composed of the Nine
Muses..
The second division of the procession
was composed of various comic sketches
and tableauX.
Tragedy came first. The scene was
ruined temple, the pillars of which were
covered with moss and ivy. Tragedy
herself was q mad virago, her hair
dishevelled and carrying in her hand a
lighted torch with which she was about
to ignite barrel of dynamite. Some of
her victims were gathered around her.
Ophelia, mad and weeping, Polonius
dead, the Queen of Denmark with an
immense pitcher labeled "Polson," and
the other we'll known characters of
Tragedy.
Hannibal Crossing the Alps was a sug-
gestion of how the great Carthagenian
might have overcome the distractions
very easily; for, here his soldiers were
seen using their shields as toboggans,
and sliding gracefully in them down the
mountains of snow into Italy.
Other tableaux were Noah's Ark,
Return of the Prodigal, Paradise
Lost, The British Lion OF Old and To-
day, Royalty in future Generations.
third division COMMUNICATED the fact
that to day is Westinghouse birthday by
giving some of the most remarkable
scenes from the life of that great Ameri-
can.
Immediately behind the Rex parade
came smother carnival association, the
Independent Order of the Moons, with
sixteen floats, very patriotic, and, at the
same time, of an exceedingly humorous
character, showing the great superiority
of the United States over all other coun.
tries. There was Uncle Sam, in his ira
ditionai costume, seated across the world.
Other tableaux represented the wonder
full extent and varied resources OF this
country; immigration pouring l. from all
portions of the world; Uncle Sam boiling
down the immigrants into American clti-
zens; America feeding the world; Uncle
Sam, from coigu Of vantage and safety,
watching all Europe engaged in wsr,
each nation slaughtering its brothers,
while peace reigns here; the Monroe
doctrine: and, finally, the reconciliation
of all sections, the Confederate ard
federal soldier fraternzing, and the
IL